Confessions
by FangZeronos
Summary: Set between episode 6x2 and 6x3, Allura and Lance sit and talk. (slightly anti-Lotura and anti-Allurance if you look hard enough...)


"He said what?" Allura asked with a slight giggle and smile, looking at the four mice on her vanity. They squeaked and ran in a circle before two of them put their tails together as a heart. Her eyes saddened and fell, and her hands fell into her lap, her posture sinking as she seemed to deflate from the news of her mice friends. "Oh…"

Allura readied herself to sleep, finding it a difficult thing to come by. She settled to pacing her room, her arms wrapped around herself. She seemed to always know of Lance's feelings for her, ever since the first time she saw him and the other Paladins when they arrived in the Castle. His constant flirtatious attitude did nothing to persuade her that he was merely joking, and for once, she didn't know what to do.

Dressing in her suit once more, the Princess making her way through the Castle and passing the other rooms, knocking on Lance's door. After a minute of waiting, she overrode the panel, opening the door. "Lance?" she asked, looking around. "Not here." She backed out and shut the door again, making her way toward the training room, looking down from the control booth. "Not here either." She sighed and made her way for the bridge, finally seeing him sitting at his console and looking upset. "Lance?"

Lance looked up in surprise, seeing Allura. "Allura!" he said, jumping up. "What—what are you doing here?"

"Looking for you, actually," Allura said, sighing as she made her way over and sat on the steps leading up to her normal platform for the teludav. "We need to talk, Lance, and it's something that needs to be said before things get out of hand and a mission gets jeopardized or worse." She folded her arms over her stomach, looking over at the young man.

Lance sighed softly, sitting back down. "The mice, huh?" he asked, kicking at the ground. "Little traitors…"

Allura looked at Lance and shook her head. "Not entirely the mice," she said. "Lance, since you've all been here, I have noticed your behavior when it comes to me. The flirting or trying to flirt, the way you act when you talk to me, or how you respond when it comes to people outside of the Paladins, Coran, and Lotor. But this must stop. You know that for all your incessant flirting and acting like a fool, you could get someone killed when we're on a mission."

"I know, I know," Lance sighed. "Like the other day at the Omega Shield. If I hadn't started, we could have gotten it done faster, I get it." He looked down, his hands clenched around his jacket softly. "I'm sorry, Allura. I don't mean to make you feel uncomfortable, I really don't."

Allura looked down, hearing the slight tinges of anger in Lance's voice, knowing that this should have waited. "I have to be honest, Lance. It does slightly make me feel uncomfortable, but I do not say anything because I feel if I did, you would get angry." She took a chance and looked at him, seeing him rolling his eyes. "What?"

"Of course, I'd get angry, but I'd get over it," Lance said. "If you, at any point, told me to shut up and knock it off, I would have. Ever since we first got to the Castle and all the time we've been a team since, if you'd have said anything, I would have stopped!"

Allura flinched back, tightening her arms around herself and stepping back slightly. She looked at Lance and suddenly found her feet more interesting, scuffing the floor with the toe of her boot lightly. "I did not mean to upset you, Lance. This was never the intention of this discussion. We need to be a coherent team and having you flirting over the comms when we're in the middle of a dire situation, like the shields, could get someone hurt." She sighed and looked up, seeing looking defeated. "Lance—"

"I get it, alright?" Lance asked, looking down. "Stop trying to flirt and make you fall for me. It'll never happen since Lotor's around, so why bother. I'll let you and Pretty Boy get all nice and cozy." He started to walk off, feeling Allura's hand on his arm and making him stop. "What?"

Allura slowly removed her hand, stepping in front of Lance and looking defeated and tired. She sat down and softly patted the metal next to her, inviting him to sit. When he finally did, she folded her hands in her lap and looked down. "DO you remember our discussion the day the Red Bayard became the Broadsword?" she asked. "About mine and Shiro's arguments?"

Lance nodded. "Yeah. You had the same look on your face and same posture as you did just now when talking to me," he said. "Why?"

Allura sighed, drawing her knees up. "Because, despite my best efforts not to do so, I have found myself in the situation you said about Lotor," she said. "Ever since finding the stone that led to Oriande, the thought of he and I bringing Alteans back has been lingering in my mind, but I push the thoughts to the side because I know it could jeopardize the mission at hand. The touches and lingering looks, the gazes he gives me when I'm working on these ships…I don't know how to describe it, Lance."

Lance nodded, listening to Allura. "Sounds to me like you're falling in love," he said. "Everything he does makes you smile or give you hope, he's encouraging about Altean stuff because that's one thing you two share. I can't say I know what it's like to be the last of a species, Allura. All I know is that Altea and its history and past are something you want to hold onto, and if having Lotor help is the way for you to do that, then I guess I can step to the side and let it happen."

Allura, for the first time, had the faintest trace of a smile on her face. "Thank you, Lance, but…there is something else that bothers me."

"What?" Lance asked, turning and facing Allura.

Allura bit her lip softly, looking down again. She was silent for a few moments, tapping her fingers against her leg softly. She knew she'd be getting into something extremely personal, but she knew it had to be talked about otherwise she'd never come to terms with what was going on inside of her mind. She needed to vocalize her conflicts to be able to move on, so she steeled herself again and turned to face Lance.

"To be entirely honest, it also has to do with Shiro," she said. "Before the battle with Zarkon when he disappeared out of the Black Lion, I had found myself…in a similar situation with him regarding my feelings for him much like with Lotor. When we found that he was gone, I felt real fear for the first time since my father's death. I felt like someone else I cared for was gone and I could do nothing about it. When Keith found him in that ship, floating along without power…my heart soared because we had him back. Hearing his voice, seeing him standing there, watching him. I felt like things would be alright again."

"Then you two started having problems because of Lotor and him going behind your back," Lance said. "Allura…have you ever sat to try and figure out your feelings for Shiro and for Lotor?"

Allura shook her head softly. "No. And I think that might be my problem. Shiro and I have always been equals when it comes to Voltron. Ever since you all first came here, he's had you all do what I say, and I have backed him in nearly every decision he's made." She sighed softly, rubbing her arms. "I suppose I have a choice on my hands…"

"And it's one you need to make before things go bad," Lance said, putting his hand on Allura's arm. "And if it makes up for what I've done in the past, whatever choice you make I'll support." He smiled a bit, moving his hand back.

Allura smiled softly, nodding. "Thank you, Lance," she said. She stood up and held her hand out, Lance taking it as she helped him up. "Now. We should get some rest. Coran wants us all up tomorrow for a game that he wishes us all to be part of."

Lance nodded. "Alright," he said. "Good night, Princess." He put his hand on her shoulder and headed off the bridge, making his way back for his room.

Allura sighed softly, looking at her hands and making her way towards her room, running differing scenarios in her head. As much as she didn't want to admit it, Lance was right on both counts. When it came to Lotor, she knew that helping him would hopefully help restore Altean culture or her people; but on the other hand, when it came to Shiro, she couldn't help the ache in her heart every time they would start to argue or start to snap at each other. She clenched her hands and shut the door to her room, sitting on the edge of the bed and pressed her hands to her eyes.

"What do I do…?" she muttered to herself, letting her head drop into her hands. While she was glad to have cleared things up with Lance and hopefully put that behind them, she couldn't help but feel that the talk had opened two brand new problems, ones she'd have to deal with in the coming days as the battle with the splitting Galra Empire came to a head.


End file.
